General thoughts
I like the presentation, overall concept, and direction of the game. The mobile-first approach is clear, the UI is clean, and the progression structure makes sense for this kind of experience.
The biggest issue I ran into was the movement controls. I am not sure if I was misunderstanding how they are supposed to work, but movement felt strange enough that I could not always tell whether I was moving in the direction I intended or somehow steering against it. That made the core gameplay harder to read than I expected.
What I liked
- Clean, colorful presentation
- Clear mobile-friendly identity
- Simple progression concept
- I like the overall idea of a lightweight survivor-style game without ads, gacha, or unnecessary friction
What I would change
- I would prioritize making the movement feel immediately intuitive. If the current behavior is intentional, I would communicate it more clearly. If it is not, I would revisit the control feel.
- Keep the progression and upgrade information as easy to understand as the rest of the presentation.
- Continue leaning into the simplicity of the concept rather than adding complexity for its own sake.
Overall, I like the ideas and presentation quite a bit. The main thing holding the experience back for me was that I never fully felt comfortable with the movement, and since movement is such a central part of the game, I would probably focus there first.
Please consider giving my game a try, it’s browser based with a tight 2-3 minute game loop: https://barelyplayable.itch.io/blade-baes-brawl
Feedback form submissions preferred: https://forms.gle/fsJrAZDhJtP1CFXX8
Let me know if you’d like an invite to try the invite-only full alpha build :)